The present invention relates to a new type of building structure, and in particular, to a building structure which is constructed from discrete modular building elements thereby facilitating a variety of configurations or designs of building structure.
Currently, many building structures are constructed using a large number of small individual components. This practice requires significant time, effort and skill to bring to completion even a comparatively minor building structure such as a house. In attempting to overcome this and other drawbacks, building structures utilising modular building components have been devised and are known. However, many of these prefabricated or modular components have simply transferred the time, effort and skill from the building location to a factory location. Transporting prefabricated or modular components from a factory location to a building location results in an additional cost to the overall expense of erecting the building structure, which may only prove commercially viable for kit homes.
Furthermore, simply transferring the manufacture or construction of prefabricated or modular components to a building site may significantly reduce the cost of building structures below that which is incurred by manufacturing prefabricated or modular components in a factory. However, the components must be capable of being satisfactorily manufactured at the building site where limited facilities are available.
Many various types of building structures utilising modular components or elements have been proposed. Due to the complexity and variation associated with constructing a building structure none of these previous systems overcome all of the problems associated with erecting a building structure.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3950902 discloses a concrete structure constructed from a single basic, monolithic pre-cast modular concrete beam. Each beam is an elongated concrete member having a generally rectangular cross-section, and having a central aperture extending through the length of said beam. However, these concrete structures are limited to relatively small buildings, for example houses, where a relatively high structural integrity is not required. Hence, the modular concrete beam may be comparatively small in dimensions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5072554 discloses a prefabricated modular building structure which is constructed of a plurality of panels. Vertical panels are interlocked by sliding a built in flange on each panel into a built in channel member on an adjacent panel. The specification is directed towards a single layer of vertical panels only, and foundations are not utilised due to the modular storage building being of a relatively small size. Therefore, this invention is still limited in its scope of overcoming the problems associated with modular building structures.
The problems associated with providing a flexible and stable modular building structure are complex, this is attested to by the fact that although a significant effort has been made to solve the problems, the modular or prefabricated building industries have only captured and extremely small percentage of the housing market, perhaps as little as 8%, after many decades. The complexities present can impose a height restriction on many forms of modular building structures.
This identifies a need for an improved type of modular building structure which overcomes the problems inherent in the prior art
The present invention seeks to provide an improved modular building structure which includes only a limited number of basic modular elements which can be used for foundations, walls, floors, ceilings, etc., that can be mass produced on-site or at a factory if desired, but does not require the construction of specialised or expensive factories.
Furthermore the present invention seeks to provide, inter alia: modular elements which can be used to construct a wide variety of plans or designs of building structures and meet a wide range of structural requirements; which may also be reinforced to resist any dynamic force; that his fire proof, rock proof and vermin proof; that can be produced from a few locally available materials; that can be lifted and handled by available inexpensive mobile machinery; and may be put together in a simple manner, which may utilise relatively unskilled labour.
Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide these and other features providing an improved and flexible building structure which is constructed from discrete modular building elements.
It should be noted that in this specification reference to the term xe2x80x98building structurexe2x80x99 is a reference to a real and effective building structure, that is a full-scale building structure. The term xe2x80x98building structurexe2x80x99 is not intended to include within its scope a toy, miniature or model building.
The present invention according to one aspect seeks to provide a building structure formed from modular building elements, wherein the building structure includes:
first modular building elements provided with protrusions for interconnection with at least one socket beam; and
second modular building elements; and
socket beams provided with at least two holes, slots or recesses for receiving protrusions from first modular building elements, the holes, slots or recesses located near or at the mid-section of a surface of a socket beam; and
whereby a socket beam forms an interconnection with at least two first modular building elements, the first modular building elements being held laterally abutted to each other as a result of the mutual interconnection of respective protrusions with holes, slots or recesses of the socket beam, and, at least one second modular building element associates with the socket beam and first modular building element interconnection; such that,
a socket beam and at least two first modular building elements and at least one second modular building element form a configuration unit, the configuration unit able to engage or abut other adjacent configuration units in a side by side fashion such that the second modular building elements define a substantially planar surface, and whereby first modular building elements abut adjacent first modular building elements, second modular building elements abut adjacent second modular building elements and a socket beam abuts adjacent socket beams.
In another preferred form of the invention it is sought to provide a building structure wherein a second modular building element has at least one edge supported by a portion of the socket beam with which it associates. In a particular embodiment the configuration unit is able to engage or abut other adjacent configuration units in a one atop the other fashion to provide a multi-storey building structure. The present invention according to another aspect seeks to provide a foundation structure is provided and at least one of the components of the building structure associates with the foundation structure. The present invention according to yet another aspect seeks to provide a foundation support socket beam associates with the foundation structure, the foundation support socket beam able to interconnect with a foundation first modular building element, and at least one socket beam able to interconnect with the foundation first modular building element. There is also sought to be provided a foundation second modular building element associates with the foundation structure, the foundation second modular building element able to receive at least one first modular building element.
In a preferred form, a first modular building element is a wall panel, and a second modular building element is a floor panel or a ceiling panel. Also preferably, the socket beam has a substantially flat upper surface, part of which assists to support the second modular building elements, and a lower surface provided with a central recess, in addition to the at least two holes, slots or recesses for receiving protrusions from first modular building elements, into which part of a lower first modular building element can be inserted. In a further preferred form, at least one edge of a first modular building element has off-centre protrusions, and an adjacent first modular building element also has off-centre protrusions so that when the first modular building elements are side-by-side the abutting off-centre protrusions form a combined protrusion, and at least one side of a socket beam has a hole, slot or recess to receive said combined protrusion of the first modular building elements.
According to another aspect of the present invention at least one edge of a second modular building element has a protrusion or protrusions whereby an angled joint is formed by the protrusion of the second modular building element and a protrusion of a first modular building element, and the protrusion of the second: modular building element sits intermediate the first modular building element and the socket beam. Also, the angle of the angular joint may be substantially perpendicular. Furthermore, the edges of the protrusion or protrusions may be angled, bevelled, sloped or inclined. Still furthermore, the internal edges of the socket beam holes, slots or recesses may be angled, bevelled, sloped or inclined. In a specific aspect of the present invention at least one of the modular building elements is a corner modular building element whereby the corner modular building element is a L-type, T-type or X-type geometry.
In a broad form, any of the first modular building elements or socket beams can be a substantially curved element. Furthermore, one edge of the first or second modular building elements may be provided with a flange, and another edge may be provided with a channel or recess. Also, the flange of one first or second modular building element may associate with the channel or recess of an adjacent first or second modular building element respectively.
According to a further aspect both edges of the first or second modular building elements may be provided with channels or recesses, whereby the periphery region of the channel or recess of a first or second modular building element abuts the periphery region of the channel or recess of an adjacent first or second modular building element respectively.
In a further embodiment of the present invention exterior modular building elements are affixed to selected socket beams, first modular building elements and/or second modular building elements. Gaps between first modular building elements, second modular building elements and/or socket beams can be filled with a filling substance. In one form, the first modular building elements, second modular building elements, socket beams and other similar elements are manufactured from concrete, reinforced concrete or super light concrete.
In a specific embodiment the interconnection or association means may include longitudinal halving, bevelled halving, tee halving, dovetailed halving, angle halving, dovetailed cross-halving, notching, butting, a rebated joint, a tongued joint, a housed joint, a dovetailed trenched joint, a finger joint, an angle finger joint, an angle dovetail joint, a lapped dovetailed joint, a bridle joint or any similar such joint or means of interconnection or association. According to a further broad form, the building structure is frameless, and the building structure is capable of being modified, dismounted, disjoined or the like.
In a further embodiment of the present invention there is sought to be provided a toy structure formed from toy building elements, wherein the toy structure includes:
first modular toy elements provided with protrusions for interconnection with at least one toy socket beam; and
second modular toy elements; and
toy socket beams provided with at least two holes, slots or recesses for receiving protrusions from first modular toy elements, the holes, slots or recesses located near or at the mid-section of a surface of a toy socket beam, the toy socket beams not having the same geometry as the first modular toy elements or the second modular toy elements; and
whereby a toy socket beam forms an interconnection with at least two first modular toy elements, the first modular toy elements being held laterally abutted to each other as a result of the mutual interconnection of respective protrusions with holes, slots or recesses of the toy socket beam, and, at least one second modular toy element associates with the toy socket beam and first modular toy element interconnection; such that, p1 a toy socket beam and at least two first modular toy elements and at least one second modular toy element form a toy configuration unit, the toy configuration unit able to engage or abut other adjacent toy configuration units in a side by side fashion such that the second modular toy elements define a substantially planar surface, and whereby first modular toy elements abut adjacent first modular toy elements, second modular toy elements abut adjacent second modular toy elements and a toy socket beam abuts adjacent toy socket beams.
The modular toy elements may be used as children""s play building blocks and could be manufactured from plastic, a synthetic polymeric substance, wood, or metal. Additionally, the toy structure may be a miniature building set for the making of scale models.
In a still further broad form of the present invention, there is""sought to be provided a system of erecting a building structure including the steps of:
forming a building structure foundation structure; and
using the building structure foundation to support a first layer of socket beams positioned at the desired locations; and
using the first layer of socket beams to support a first level of first modular building elements having socket beam interconnection means; and
using the first layer of socket beams to vertically support a first level of second modular building elements; and
using the interconnection means of the first layer of socket beams and the first level of first modular building elements to laterally hold the first level of second modular building elements; and
whereby a socket beam and at least two first modular building elements and at least one second modular building element form a configuration unit, the configuration unit being repeatable one atop the other, and being repeatable in a side-by-side fashion, and whereby first modular building elements abut adjacent first modular building elements, second modular building elements abut adjacent second modular building elements and a socket beam abuts adjacent socket beams.
In a still further broad form of the present invention, there is sought to be provided a system of erecting a building structure including the steps of.
forming a building structure foundation structure; and
using the building structure foundation, to support a first layer of socket beams positioned at the desired locations; and
using the first layer of socket beams to support a first level of wall panels having socket beam interconnection means; and
using the first layer of socket beams to vertically support a first level of floor panels; and
using the interconnection means of the first layer of socket beams and the first level of wall panels to laterally hold the first level of floor panels; and
whereby a socket beam and at least two first modular building elements and at least one second modular building element form a configuration unit, the configuration unit being repeatable one atop the other, and being repeatable in a side-by-side fashion, and whereby first modular building elements abut adjacent first modular building elements, second modular building elements abut adjacent second modular building elements and a socket beam abuts adjacent socket beams.
It may also be provided that the first modular building elements, second modular building elements, socket beams and other similar elements are manufactured on-site at the location of the building structure.
In another broad form of the invention there is provided a building structure, substantially according to the embodiment described in the specification with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying figures.
In another broad form of the invention there is provided a toy structure, substantially according to the embodiment described in the specification with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying figures.
In another broad form of the invention there is provided a system of erecting a building structure, substantially according to the embodiment described in the specification with reference to the accompanying figures.